Synopsis - Currently in Little Creek (Norfolk) Va and have gone 1329 miles. Tod got a haircut since this picture (it had been three months!).
Since our last posting, we cruised from Charleston SC to Beaufort North Carolina with Dave and Marcia Reck. We had good weather (generally hot) and covered about 270 miles with them. After leaving Charleston the four of us anchored out for a night and then went in for a "day visit" to Georgetown SC. It was a VERY rich area prior to the civil war (rice and indigo) and still has a lot of houses from the 17oos and 1800s that are really well maintained. I was draining the old water out of the ice chest from the fly bridge and happened to look over the side of the boat. There was a big ugly face drinking the water that on closer inspection was a manatee. We all had a good look but we were so excited that we forgot to take a photo until too late. It was very cool. Here is one of the houses that was originally built in the late 1700s.
We had a couple of nice nights at anchor other than fighting off the deer flies. The small vacuum is a great fly catcher and makes a satisfying "thunk" whenever a capture is made.
Beaufort NC was a sea port since the 1600s and has a rich "pirate" history. The pirates sold the stolen "booty" to local folks at prices below what they would otherwise have to pay so they were often welcome in the communities. The house below is reported to have hosted Edward Teach (Blackbeard) in the early 1700s.
Beaufort was cut off from the rest of North Carolina (no bridge) until 1926 and they have discouraged any major development since then. There are no "chain" restaurants or hotels near the waterfront so it is a very pleasant to explore.
Dave and Marcia left us in Beaufort NC to continue their trip visiting friends and relatives on the East coast. It was great fun to travel with them and we appreciated all the useful advice we got from these well seasoned cruisers. We left Beaufort and spent a couple of days traveling mostly on "big" water to get to the famous Dismal Swamp. On our way across Arbemarle Sound on June 13th, we had a miserable time due to the big seas and the direction we had to travel. Stuff fell down all over the boat and it took us hours to get across. Luckily nothing broke and the boat kept running. We were so traumatized that we didn't take any pictures! We also hit bottom briefly and were stopped and inspected by the Coast Guard. It was a great day!!
The "Swamp" was very enjoyable because there is no current due to the locks at both ends. The waterway is small with lots of trees, bushes and vines on both sides (and snakes swimming across). Sometimes when we were cruising up the canal you could reach out and touch the trees!
We just got to Norfolk Virginia which is at the South end of the Chesapeake Bay and is FULL of active boatyards (for the big stuff) and Navy facilities. Here is a picture of the Norfolk waterway.
We are currently in Little Creek Va which is about 10 miles from Norfolk and we are having a little mechanical work done on the port engine (the fuel injection pump is leaking at a gasket location (I think). It is very nice here (Linda took her book to the swimming pool this afternoon and it is only in the mid 80s) so we will probably stay until the morning of the 17th.
We plan to meet up with Scott and Connie Neish on the 21st in Solomons Md for a visit.
Happy father's day to all of you fathers.
Here is a wish for a speedy recovery to Lindsay Swingle (Linda's cousin's daughter so is she a second cousin or a first cousin once removed or ?) who just had brain stem surgery primarily for balance issues. The reports sound good and we hope this continues. Go Lindsay!
Hope all is well with you folks and we miss you.
Tod and Linda
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